Travel & Leisure

Lifestyle Hotshots: Jose Unso Shares Some Tips on How to Overcome Your Fear of Flying

To most people, the sky is the limit but for those who love aviation, the sky is home. Growing up in a family of pilots, it was no surprise that 25-year-old BS Psychology major (and a consistent dean’s lister at that!) Jose Unso pursued a career in aviation as well. “Being a pilot is not something I planned overnight. I grew up in a family of pilots, and really good ones. My grandfather is a member of the Blue Diamonds, the most elite flight squad in the country while my uncles are all Captains in the airlines," he shares. "Most kids would change their minds about their career along the way, but mine was set a long long time ago, I wanted to fly planes.” Initially, Jose wanted to become a fighter pilot but "realized along the way that it is better to take people from point A to point B safely rather than trying to kill each other in a dogfight.”

Flying, however, isn’t the only thing that keeps Jose busy. He has also ventured into the food business with a franchise of Potato Giant. “If there’s something you should know about me, it is that I always seek to better myself and do literally everything. I wanted to be good in academics, sports (he’s part of the national team), art, music, dancing, and flying planes which I know I can excel at. But I also wanted to be good in the things I'm not so good at and especially things that I know nothing about, which is business.”

That said, flying remains to be his favorite thing to do in life. “I don’t consider it as work, I feel like my office is in the sky so I really love flying.” The full-time flight instructor gives some tips on how can one overcome her fear of flying:

The odds are in your favor. “The very first thing you have to know about flying, is that you are more likely to be killed going to the airport than dying in a plane crash”

Talk to yourself. “It’s something I do before I engage in anything. Find out what scares you, and think of something that you could do that would make you feel comfortable, mine is praying.”

Remember that pilots are well-trained. “Another important thing to remember is that the people flying those planes have worked so hard and studied so much to be able to hold those controls, and to be fair, it's safe to say that they've seen it all from the simulators that they trained in.”

Step out of your comfort zone. “For people who are scared in general, I'll tell you that stepping out of your comfort zone is not something to be scared of. Being the same and doing the same routine is something that you should be scared of more than anything. We are bound to change, and whether it is for the good or bad is something we should live to find out.”